The Reducing Island Waste scheme has been started up with a partnership involving Cornish environmental organisation Rezolve Kernow and funding from Defra, WRAP and the Countryside Agency.
” This is a fantastic opportunity for us to expand existing pilot schemes and develop additional innovative practical projects. “
– Liz Davey, Isle of Scilly
The Isles of Scilly, which includes a population of about 2,000 on five inhabited islands 28 miles from Land's End, has gained a 122,505 grant to provide support and advice to help recycle glass, provide home composting facilities and waste minimisation awareness materials.
Glass crushers will be provided for several of the outer islands, which will allow the islands to deal with a recyclable material themselves for the first time rather than shipping it to the mainland.
Jon Roll, waste minimisation manager at Rezolve Kernow, said: “The glass will be used as an aggregate substitute, which will save money both on taking it to the mainland as well as bringing aggregate onto the islands.
“Already one crusher has been put in place and it has been very successful. The money that is saved through these schemes can go back into improving the recycling on the islands,” he added.
The Waste and Resources Action programme (WRAP) has provided the islands with 500 free home composting bins to help households compost their own organic waste.
Holiday waste
The Reducing Island Waste project will also look to tackle the significant increase in waste that is produced during the summer vacation period.
Mr Roll said: “Leaflets will be distributed to accommodations on the islands and we will be providing visitors with information on how to minimise waste during their stay with us.”
The scheme will begin this month and run until April 2006 and Mr Roll hopes that the Isles of Scilly can become a model for other islands that suffer from the high costs of recycling and waste disposal.
Because of its isolation, the Isles of Scilly has found it difficult to cope with waste produced on the islands. Waste collected through kerbside collections and the civic amenity site on the largest island, St Mary's, as well as material collected at waste collection points on the islands of Bryher, St.Agnes and St.Martin's, is currently processed through the recently refurbished Porthmellon incinerator.
Material destined for recycling has had to be transported to the mainland for recycling. The isolation of the Isles has also meant it has been difficult to gain additional funding from central government.
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Liz Davey of the Isles of Scilly Area of Natural Beauty, said: “This is a fantastic opportunity for us to expand existing pilot schemes and develop additional innovative practical projects that will result in a reduction of waste and improve the service we can offer to residents.”
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